New TG system: Q&A Thread

[[violet]]

Saying that, a button that we have to click with each nation just makes recruiting more of a pain in the ass for anyone that actually recruits properly

The only time you'd have to click that button "with each nation" is if you were copying & pasting the same message to different nations one at a time. This is how manual recruiters have done it since forever, of course, but it's horribly inefficient under the new TG system, since it means that if you're recruiting to 1,000 nations, the system must store 1,000 copies of your TG, rather than just one.

You can keep doing it that way, but what I'd invite you to do is compose the TG once and send it many times--either via the inbuilt tools or via a 3rd party tool/script. You then only have to check that button once, not once per nation.

[Auralia]

Question: the news page says you can send a telegram to up to eight nations at once; will that apply to scripts using the API as well? (or do we have to stick with one recipient every 20 seconds?)

[Tim-Opolis]

Alternatively to what Ceberion said, let regions founder/delegate manually set a "no TG-recruiting" tag that would make it against the rules to recruit via TG in their region.

Yes. Please. That would be amazing, actually.

[TurtleShroom]

I'm going to be a Postmaster General as soon as the code is saved.



Also, if I LIKE the 2002/Classic unit and want the bonus inboxes and all, can I keep the old interface? I live the old interface BUT WANT THE NEW FEATURES PLEASE BY GRAVY MAKE THAT W CHOICE!!

[TurtleShroom]

Alternatively to what Ceberion said, let regions founder/delegate manually set a "no TG-recruiting" tag that would make it against the rules to recruit via TG in their region.

Yes. Please. That would be amazing, actually.

SECONDED! SECONDED SECONDED SECONDED PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE

[PrussianEmpire]

Alternatively to what Ceberion said, let regions founder/delegate manually set a "no TG-recruiting" tag that would make it against the rules to recruit via TG in their region.

I like that idea!

[Kingborough]

Saying that, a button that we have to click with each nation just makes recruiting more of a pain in the ass for anyone that actually recruits properly

The only time you'd have to click that button "with each nation" is if you were copying & pasting the same message to different nations one at a time. This is how manual recruiters have done it since forever, of course, but it's horribly inefficient under the new TG system, since it means that if you're recruiting to 1,000 nations, the system must store 1,000 copies of your TG, rather than just one.

You can keep doing it that way, but what I'd invite you to do is compose the TG once and send it many times--either via the inbuilt tools or via a 3rd party tool/script. You then only have to check that button once, not once per nation.

The majority of players will not have the money to buy stamps, nor the skills to write scripts (not to mention I assume auto-recruitment scripts are still banned). Someone like the Queen of the British Isles sends hundreds of recruitment daily, I'm 100% sure that based on how I often forgot to check things when sending recruiting TGs on autopilot, someone like that will end up forgetting to click the box many times a day.

[[violet]]

Question: are telegram stamps required to send a mass TG to a list of nations that you input manually?

Nope, although you can only manually input up to 8 nations in the "To:" box at once.

[Auralia]

Question: are telegram stamps required to send a mass TG to a list of nations that you input manually?

Nope, although you can only manually input up to 8 nations in the "To:" box at once.

I edited the question, apparently too late: will this apply to the API as well? (i.e. can we send one telegram to eight recipients every 20 seconds, or whatever rate limit you impose?)

[Tim-Opolis]

Saying that, a button that we have to click with each nation just makes recruiting more of a pain in the ass for anyone that actually recruits properly

The only time you'd have to click that button "with each nation" is if you were copying & pasting the same message to different nations one at a time. This is how manual recruiters have done it since forever, of course, but it's horribly inefficient under the new TG system, since it means that if you're recruiting to 1,000 nations, the system must store 1,000 copies of your TG, rather than just one.

You can keep doing it that way, but what I'd invite you to do is compose the TG once and send it many times--either via the inbuilt tools or via a 3rd party tool/script. You then only have to check that button once, not once per nation.

So what you're saying is that we can basically check that Button once for our Recruiting Session and then un-check it when we're done? So, for example. I can click this button, go into my 3rd Party Script, and when I click the nation out of the feed it will already have the "Recruiting Telegram" thing marked? Because saying that at the beginning would have made this a lot easier to understand

If not, then I'm still not seeing how you're making any point here. Will the new TG system have its own built-in API feed? It seems that we're either going to have to all develop new scripts, or there's some magical quickfix to this all in the actual TG system?

Also, Regional/Organizational Mass Telegrams like the UDL "Show up for Update" Telegrams or the TNP Voting Ballots. Those can be sent without any sort of Label on them, correct?

[Zwangzug]

So, if you had an arbitrary list of accounts you wanted to telegram the same message to (not bound together by any in-game feature like region or WA status), the paid features would not benefit you any, but you could send it to them eight at a time with the new, free, version?

Thanks!

[Cerberion]

Saying that, a button that we have to click with each nation just makes recruiting more of a pain in the ass for anyone that actually recruits properly

The only time you'd have to click that button "with each nation" is if you were copying & pasting the same message to different nations one at a time. This is how manual recruiters have done it since forever, of course, but it's horribly inefficient under the new TG system, since it means that if you're recruiting to 1,000 nations, the system must store 1,000 copies of your TG, rather than just one.

You can keep doing it that way, but what I'd invite you to do is compose the TG once and send it many times--either via the inbuilt tools or via a 3rd party tool/script. You then only have to check that button once, not once per nation.

It feels like those with the most cash are going to triumph over those who work hard.
So anyone who is strapped for cash is going to stick with the manual option and the volume of individual TGs isn't going to drop.

I think there were around 22K nations created in the month of January. While I'd love to splash out that much to support NS, it's above my price range.

[[violet]]

Question: the news page says you can send a telegram to up to eight nations at once; will that apply to scripts using the API as well? (or do we have to stick with one recipient every 20 seconds?)

If you put eight names in the "To:" box, the game's flood control will treat it like you just sent 8 TGs. That is, it's a convenience, not a method of dodging the flood limits.

[Aussie Republic]

In the news we were promissed nobody would get any special advantages other than ad removal if they are a donator, but now you're telling us being a donator will give us more advantages with the TG system. Were you lieing to us?

Additional TG features you can pay for were flagged in the original News post; these are things we can't offer for free to everyone, because they generate disproportionately high server load, which of course someone has to pay for. I get the point about someone being able to pay to communicate more easily, but we don't think that's a game-breaker. All the old functionality is still there, available for anyone to use, and there isn't much advantage in being able to TG a lot of people.

Is it a one-off fee?

[Elliston]

I hate to say this, after all the work that went into doing this, but can such bulk messages be blocked? Or do you have to block each sender, as we do now, after we receive the first message, we block the sender from sending more messages.

[Individuality-ness]

I hate to say this, after all the work that went into doing this, but can such bulk messages be blocked? Or do you have to block each sender, as we do now, after we receive the first message, we block the sender from sending more messages.

Well, according to the news post, we do have the ability to block such mass TGs.

Additional TG features you can pay for were flagged in the original News post; these are things we can't offer for free to everyone, because they generate disproportionately high server load, which of course someone has to pay for. I get the point about someone being able to pay to communicate more easily, but we don't think that's a game-breaker. All the old functionality is still there, available for anyone to use, and there isn't much advantage in being able to TG a lot of people.

Is it a one-off fee?

For the TG box upgrades, I think so. Stamps, no.

[Auralia]

Question: the news page says you can send a telegram to up to eight nations at once; will that apply to scripts using the API as well? (or do we have to stick with one recipient every 20 seconds?)

If you put eight names in the "To:" box, the game's flood control will treat it like you just sent 8 TGs. That is, it's a convenience, not a method of dodging the flood limits.

But it would still only store one copy of the TG for those eight recipients?

Also, when will the script rules be formally updated to take into account these new developments?

[[violet]]

The only time you'd have to click that button "with each nation" is if you were copying & pasting the same message to different nations one at a time. This is how manual recruiters have done it since forever, of course, but it's horribly inefficient under the new TG system, since it means that if you're recruiting to 1,000 nations, the system must store 1,000 copies of your TG, rather than just one.

You can keep doing it that way, but what I'd invite you to do is compose the TG once and send it many times--either via the inbuilt tools or via a 3rd party tool/script. You then only have to check that button once, not once per nation.

So what you're saying is that we can basically check that Button once for our Recruiting Session and then un-check it when we're done? So, for example. I can click this button, go into my 3rd Party Script, and when I click the nation out of the feed it will already have the "Recruiting Telegram" thing marked? Because saying that at the beginning would have made this a lot easier to understand

If not, then I'm still not seeing how you're making any point here. Will the new TG system have its own built-in API feed? It seems that we're either going to have to all develop new scripts, or there's some magical quickfix to this all in the actual TG system?

I'm starting to think I should have prepared the API documentation earlier, but basically I'm talking about this process. Which may sound more complicated than it really is... all you need to do is click (or otherwise generate a request for) an URL like:

Code: Select all

http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/api.cgi?a=sendTG&to=(nation_name)&tgid=(TGID)&key=(secret key)

... where (TGID) is the ID number of the telegram you composed, (secret key) is the key the game spat back at you, and (nation_name) is the name of the nation you want to send a copy to.

So even without any scripting, I don't think it would be hard to click that URL, then change the name to the next nation, press Enter, and repeat. It would be a little awkward, but very doable, and less work than copying and pasting and trying to remember to check the right button.

With a small amount of scripting, you would get a browser tool that puts a button on nation pages you view, which you click to make that API call. Which would be super-easy.

Also, Regional/Organizational Mass Telegrams like the UDL "Show up for Update" Telegrams or the TNP Voting Ballots. Those can be sent without any sort of Label on them, correct?

Without knowing exactly what those are, I think you are right. The only TGs that require labels are recruitment TGs and WA campaign TGs.

[Kingborough]

I want to say Violet, that I'm sorry for just complaining. You admins have worked for ages on this system and while I do have quibbles with it is is not fair of me to just whine about this, which by all rights I should be grateful for.

[[violet]]

Nope, although you can only manually input up to 8 nations in the "To:" box at once.

I edited the question, apparently too late: will this apply to the API as well? (i.e. can we send one telegram to eight recipients every 20 seconds, or whatever rate limit you impose?)

The API actually only takes nation names one at a time. But anyway, flood limits are based on the number of recipients; you can't send TGs any faster by stringing recipients' names together. The API will continue to be limited to 3 TGs per minute.

[[violet]]

Is it a one-off fee?

The Postmaster and Postmaster-General accounts are, yes: as with "Site Supporter," they stay with your nation forever.

Telegram Stamps are consumed when you send a Mass TG to a special group (e.g. "WA Delegates") or region.

[[violet]]

can such bulk messages be blocked? Or do you have to block each sender, as we do now, after we receive the first message, we block the sender from sending more messages.

Yes, you can set your nation to block all Mass TGs, without needing to bother with "Ignore Sender."

Currently there are four TG block categories (not counting "Ignore Sender"): Recruitment TGs, WA Campaign TGs, Regional TGs (which are region-wide TGs from your Delegate or Founder), and External (which are all other Mass TGs). For each type, you can set your nation to block "All", "Most", "Some", or "None." The middle two options will only let the TG through if you haven't already received one of that type in the last day/week.

[Sichuan Pepper]

I am getting mixed messages....I want to confirm that UCRs are going to become open to recruitment?

Edited from Player created region to user created region

[Tim-Opolis]

So what you're saying is that we can basically check that Button once for our Recruiting Session and then un-check it when we're done? So, for example. I can click this button, go into my 3rd Party Script, and when I click the nation out of the feed it will already have the "Recruiting Telegram" thing marked? Because saying that at the beginning would have made this a lot easier to understand

If not, then I'm still not seeing how you're making any point here. Will the new TG system have its own built-in API feed? It seems that we're either going to have to all develop new scripts, or there's some magical quickfix to this all in the actual TG system?

I'm starting to think I should have prepared the API documentation earlier, but basically I'm talking about this process. Which may sound more complicated than it really is... all you need to do is click (or otherwise generate a request for) an URL like:

Code: Select all

http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/api.cgi?a=sendTG&to=(nation_name)&tgid=(TGID)&key=(secret key)

... where (TGID) is the ID number of the telegram you composed, (secret key) is the key the game spat back at you, and (nation_name) is the name of the nation you want to send a copy to.

So even without any scripting, I don't think it would be hard to click that URL, then change the name to the next nation, press Enter, and repeat. It would be a little awkward, but very doable, and less work than copying and pasting and trying to remember to check the right button.

With a small amount of scripting, you would get a browser tool that puts a button on nation pages you view, which you click to make that API call. Which would be super-easy.

That method... actually seems more complicated and slower than just trying to remember to click a button each time. From what I'm understanding, this would require actually typing stuff to access the next nation. I'm pretty sure that it would be faster to just use a 3rd Party Script that has a clickable feed and autofills the Telegram Box for you, which is what I use.

And what exactly is the site method that you're promoting? I don't think you've fully explained that, unless I missed something.

Also, Regional/Organizational Mass Telegrams like the UDL "Show up for Update" Telegrams or the TNP Voting Ballots. Those can be sent without any sort of Label on them, correct?

Without knowing exactly what those are, I think you are right. The only TGs that require labels are recruitment TGs and WA campaign TGs.[/quote]

Specifically: Telegrams to Organization Members/Regional Citizens.
Thanks, Sounds Good

[Tim-Opolis]

I am getting mixed messages....I want to confirm that PCR's are going to become open to recruitment?

Yes, Wordy. UCR's are now going to become open for Recruitment.
So, we'll probably see XKI, TNI, Euro, (the large UCR Regions) get hit by waves of TG Spam right when this system goes live. That way, nobody will even have time to set to "No TGs"